The City of Evanston this week is launching public input on a project to update its accessibility plans as required under state and federal law.
The project is being conducted under a $154,850 contract by Altura Solutions, a consulting firm based in Austin, Texas, that was the top-scorer among six firms that responded to a city request for proposals.
In a memo requesting City Council approval of the project last spring, city staff said the city last updated its accessibility plan in 2012, building on previous evaluations conducted between 2001 and 2005.
Those evaluations have become out of date as a result of upgrades and changes to various parks and facilities, and the older studies do not include assessment of city right0ofway conditions, which is now required by statute.
The public input process is scheduled to kick off with a community open house from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Levy Center and also feature a virtual survey and video scheduled to launch the same day.
The drop-in style open house will have American Sign Language interpretation available.
The consultants have already conducted analysis of existing city programs, services and activities around accessibility issues and an assessment of city facilities.
The project is scheduled to be completed by February 2022 and is designed to impact the city’s capital planning process for years to come.